Well what can I say?
I now know why MrV hastily emigrated in Feb to jockland – it was the thought of another season with the Cashmores Crew…………….and the CURSE
Woke up at 6.45am, looked through the curtains……….hum ‘Not a bad day, the suns shining, doesn’t look too blowy’. ‘Sun before 7, rain before 11’ was the retort from under the quilt.
A couple of brews, car loaded up and off I sets.
The talk the day before was a possible move to Wood Lane if it was too blowy.
KOD and the Chockie Munster were already sizing things up when I arrived. The CM had already been down Wood Lane and reported it was gin.
A good ripple was on the cut, and a look off the bridge, plus a gander down the towpath revealed the colour had dropped out of the cut since my ‘practise’ down there a week earlier.
The area between the bridge and the pub (pegs 1-11) also offered a bit more shelter than 12 to 19. 19 were fishing – only 15 members plus the 4 guests, CM, harry911, Ian H plus Drynet.
I’d already made my wished known before the off, wanting to pull 1 to 4 and I’d also stated to CM that I daint want 18 or 19.
Are things on the change?????……….an early dip into the bag – not something I usually do and peg 3 sticks to my fingers.
CM follows and pulls another end peg…………not the one I wanted, but 19.
Despite the clarity, I’d got a decent bit of depth down on my peg and couldn’t see the bottom at 4/5 mtrs…………..and I still fancied it for a few.
3 rigs were set up 1 for the punch on two lines at 5 and 9 mtrs – basically the same depth at the bottom of both shelves with just an inch in it, a pickie/caster rig for hard over to the left of a sticky out tree at 11/12 mtrs and a chop worm rig at the same distance but to the right hand side of the tree, where a decent depth of about 2ft 9ins was still to be found.
As the off approached the wind was starting to pick up, but not too bad.
The off………….pot of lickie on both lines and a few casters and pinkies firtled over to the lhs across.
A 10 minute look on the inside punch line. Ominous – not an indication.
A look on the longer punch line. Nowt for 10 mins then the float zips away. A lift and I’m in. This aint a roach as no4 latex shoots out a few feet. Steadily shipping back the attached quarry follows the pole tip and nods its head a couple of times. Break down at 5/6 mtrs and hold things steady, then more lacky comes out. Dip the pole………can see that white latex through the water. Then…………………….sod it, that tell tale sign that the things come of when the lacky retracts speedily underwater with no resistance.
10.20am and I’ve won and lost the match I suspect in that first 20 mins.
No more indications on all three fed lines, despite rotating baits etc and hour into the match and it appears I’m the only one to have had a bite as CM pops down for a walk from his end peg.
Dark clouds are looming, wind strength getting up. Then those tell time signs off circles on the cut as its starts to pee down. Brollies are hastily erected. The wind speed increases. Its necessary to hold onto mine as the brollie is buffeted from all directions. This only goes on for a few minutes as its ripped inside and out and left in two pieces. Worse still, 2 top 3s fly in the cut too but are hastily retrieved.
Zorros also had the same problem on next peg – his brolly is trashed too and worse still he’s stepped on a top 4 section whilst fighting the elements.
Harry911 next door has lost sections 6 & 7 in the cut and a number of bait boxes are floating about too.
Everything gathered together, it’s sit it out time.
Nothing much else to report for the time being other than the wind gets worse and the sight of a few anglers wrapping up and heading back to their cars to sit and listen to the radio as most are blocked in and cant go anywhere.
Only news is that Ball it In has had a tug and got the beast out in the meantime. Only problem it’s an Essox Lucius and don’t count.
Time drifts on and then out of the blue Drynet snares a small perch on the chop he’s fished.
Its 1.20pm. Time to use those few worms I dug up last night. Only trouble is I probably aint going to be able to comfortably fish the intended line by the side of the tree. Ok – a few lobbies chopped up and cupped in down the far shelf at 9 mtrs. A change of rig required because of the added depth so off comes the original rig and on with a deeper rig.
By now my lucky charm Ian H is standing behind. A quick plumb up on the inside shelf (same depth as across) and on with a piece of worm. Float settles (the weight of the worm actually overshots it), I hold the float up, dragging it across the feed area and within 5 secs of entering the water a bite.
A small perch is safetly netted – no risk taken in swinging it in and out again. Ditto. Within 5 secs again another bite and another small perch.
Sadly the nest of those little kinver tigers didn’t materialise and that was it for the rest of the match despite topping up and trying to induce another bite from around the peg. :(
Further news is that Gez has snared a tench on waggler and worm off peg 11
All out…………well weighing in wont take long.
Tales of further casualties are received. As well as Zorros bost section, Veste has smashed a no 5 when his trolly blew over and another top kit, Heinzers no 6 has gone and the Worminator has done a top kit on his tourney pro.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for……………the result
1 Gez 2 – 6 – 12
2 BDM 0 – 3 – 12
3 Drynet 0 – 3 – 9
Roll on the next Grueller where I suspect a few more Cashmores members may put in an appearance as it’s a carp venue
. good match to avoid simple. let me know when your avoiding the next one 
but Si's more than held his own on his excursions on the cuts over the last 12 months..........a win banker for our match against Larry Teepots TA reprobates later in the year 
